Pump for plastic concrete mixtures



Sept- 1945- c. l. LONGENECKER, 2,384,783

PUMP FOR PLASTIC CONCRETE MIXTURES Filed Sept. 25, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 grime/whom Charles ILOIQQQEMCIW;

' p 1945. c. l. LONGENECKER PUM? FOR PLASTIC CdNCRETE MIXTURES Filed Sept. 23, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2' Filed Sept. 23, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 oon Set ll, 1945. c. I. LONGENECKER 2,384,783

PUMP FOR PLASTIC CONCRETE MIXTURES Filed Sept. 23, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 3 H/UW CllarlwlLolggeneckel;

Patented Sept. 11, 1945 2,384,783 PUMP FOR PLASTIC CONCRETE MIXTURES Charles I. Longenecker, Wauwatosa, Wis., as-

signor to Chain Belt Company, Milwaukee, W1s., a corporation of Wisconsin Application September 23, 1943, Serial No. 503,549

9 Claims. (01. 103-22s) through which the plastic mixture moved to and from the working cylinder; and while certain of the features of the present invention are applicable or readily adaptable to such double valve pumps in other aspects the present apparatus more resembles that disclosed in my prior U. S. Patent No. 2,056,902 granted October 6, 1936, in

that it employs a single valve for controlling movement of the mixture through the passages leading to and from the cylinder.

The principal objects of the invention are to improve the valve structure and its mounting;

the mechanism for actuatingthe valve in timed relation to the movements of the working piston; and the means for packing the valve against leakage. I

For purposes of disclosure a pump of the above mentioned generictype, embodying typical examples of the features constituting the present invention, has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,

in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of such pump; Fig. 2 is an enlarged end elevational view, partly broken away and in section, of the valve v and its mounting, 'as seen from the left of Fig. 1;

' Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the valve and mounting, on the same scale as Fig. 2, looking in the same direction as in Fig. 1 but with the actuating arm and the bearing spider for the valve shaft removed;

Fig. 4 is a sectional-elevational view of the valve and mounting, as seen from the planes indicated by the line 44 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken approximately on the plane indicated. by the line 5 -5 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the ar-' rows; 7

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view, taken approx imately along the planes indicated by the line 6--6 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arr w wear-resisting liner 33. provided with an inlet passage 34 leading to the Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of the valve and mounting;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged side elevational view of the cam and levers for actuating the valve, said view being partly broken away and in section on approximately the planes indicated by the line 8--8.of Fig. 9;

Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view of said actuating cam and levers, taken approximately along the plane indicated by the line 89 of Fig. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows;

. Fig. lO is a longitudinal sectional view, partly in elevation, of the connecting. rod for the valve; and

' Fig. 11 is an end elevational view of the said rod, as seen from the right of Fig. 10.

, Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, the pump comprises a working chamber or cylinder I5 car- I ried by a bed l6 mounted on aframe I! provided 20.

with skids l8 for ground traverse. A piston (not shown) is reciprocated within the said cylinder by means of a piston rod and crank 2|, carried by or formed on the main shaft 22, see Figs. 8 and 9. The said shaft is driven by spur gearing 23 from a countershaft '24, which in turn is driven by a belt drive 25 from an internal combustion engine or other motor contained within a housing 26.

:understood from Figs. 2-7 inclusive, this valve comprises a body 3! having a transverse bore 32, whichis preferably provided with a hardened The said body is also said bore 32; a cylinder passage 35, alined with and affordingcommunication between the cylinder I5 and the said bore; and a discharge passage 36 leading from the bore. As is best shown in Fig. 5, the inletpa'ssage 34 is disposed at substantially'right angles to the passages 35 and 36, and itsaxis is somewhat offset from the axis of the bore 32, while the axis of the discharge passage 36 is somewhat higher than that of the cylinder passage 35, all as indicated by the center lines shown in said figure.

' a A valve plug 40 is mounted for oscillation within the bore 32 which plug, as best shown in Fig. 6, comprises two end elements 4| and 42, and an intermediate element 43, all of which are rigidly secured together by bolts 44. The respective end members 4i and 42 carry the stub shafts or trun- -nions45 and 46 which are journaled in outboard bearings 41 housed in spiders 48 which are secured to each end of the valve body 3|. The intermediate plug member 43 is provided with a passage 50 through which the plastic concrete mixture may move alternately from the inlet passage 34 to the cylinder I5, and from the said cylin-. der to the discharge passage 36. The said plug passage 50 is so formedas to provide a valve segment 5| which is oscillatable between a discharge position, illustrated in full lines in Fig. 5, and an inlet position, indicated in broken lines in said figure. In the first of these positions the segment partially restricts the inlet passage 34 while permitting free and unobstructed flow of the mixture from the cylinder l5 to the discharge passage 36 through the passages 35 and 50, while in the second of said positions the segment partially restricts the outlet passage 36 while permitting free and unobstructed flow of the mixture from inlet passage 34 to the cylinder |5 throughthe passages 50 and 35.

By constructing th valve plug in three sections as above described, the intermediate element 43, which operates solely in the zone of the ports of the passages 34, 35 and 36, may be formed of a material, such for example, as a high carbon alloy steel, which is particularly adapted, through heat-treatment or otherwise, to withstand the abrasive action of the concrete mixture moving through the said passages and its own passage 50, while the two trunnioncarrying end elements 4| and 42 may take the form of ordinary steel castings or forgings,

actuating arm 55, here shown as of the type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,127,663 granted August 23, 1938 on an application filed by Louis G. I-Iilkemeier. One end of a connecting rod 58, to be later described more in detail, has an adjustable connection 51 with the slot 58 of the arm 55, while the other end of said'connecting rod is pivotally connected at 59 to a valve actuating mechanism 60, also to be more fully hereinafter described.

As best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6, the end elements 4| and 42 of the valve plug 40 are of somewhat smaller diameter than that of the intermediate element 43, and in each of the annular recesses thus provided between the circumferential faces of the elements 4| and 42 and the inner face of the liner 33 there is disposed aset of packing rings. Each of these sets comprises a metallic annulus 65 having oppositely beveled ends against which abut rawhide, rubber or similar yielding rings 56 of substantially triangular cross section. The Outer circumferential face of the metallic ring is provided with a medial groove 61 into which lubricating and/or concrete setting-inhibiting material, such for example as hard grease, may be forced from grease cups 68 mounted on the valve body 3|. A pressure annulus or gland 69 concentricallyengages the outer yieldable ring 66, being slidably mounted upon studs '10 carried by the plug lements 4| and 42, which studs pass through ears 1| formed on the annulus 69, as will be clear from Figs. 2 and 3. Helical compression springs 12 surround each of the studs 10 between the ears 1| and adjusting nuts 13 threaded upon the outer end portions of the said studs, which springs constantly urge the glands 69 against the packing rings, as will be readily understood. Obviously the pressure exerted by the springs 12 upon the glands may be varied as desired by adjustment of the nuts 13.

In this connection itwill be noted that, in oontradistinction to the valves heretofore commonly employed in pumps of this character, no end plates are employed for closing the open ends of the plug bore. As a result any leakage of mixture constituents through the seal provided by the packing rings 65 and 66, due to wear on the said rings, may be quickly detected by visible inspection of the seal, and prompt steps taken to overcome it by adjustment of the nuts 13 (which are constantly readily accessible) to increase the pressure exerted'by springs 12 upon the gland rings 69.

While the glands or pressure rings 69 are here shown as carried by the valve plug 40, it will be readily obvious to those skilled in .the art that they might also be mounted on the spiders 48.

The valve 30 is mounted in operative position in relation to the cylinder |5 in a manner to greatly facilitate its removal and replacement. To this end a bracket member" is rigidly secured to the end of the cylinder l5, which bracket has an upper horizontal platform 16 upon which is mounted a mixture supply hopper 11. The said platform is provided with a passage l8 affording unobstructed communication between the outlet port of said hopper and the inlet passage 34 of the valve, and a rubber or equivalent yieldable gasket 19 may be employed to prevent leakage at the joint between these 7 passages.

secured as at 86 a link 81 which projects through.

an aperture 88 formed in the upper part of the 'vertical portion of the bracket 15. The projecting portion of the link 81 is provided with a slot 89 through which a wedge 90 is inserted, which wedge engages with a pair of pads 9| carried by the bracket 15, one to either sideoi the open ing 88, see Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 7. v i V r The lower part of the vertical portion of the bracket 75 is provided with a forwardly extending arm 94, the forward end of which is formed with a pair of transversely spaced pads 95. A wedge 96 is inserted between these pads and'a medial lug 91 depending from the valve body 3|, which lug is adapted to pass between the spaced pads as the valve body is moved longitudinally of the pump in assembly and disassembly. As will be readily understood, the link 8|,'wedge 90, and pads 9|, and the pads 95, wedge 96 and lug 91, constitute quick-detachable means for firmly securing the valve 30 in the operative position illustrated in the drawings.

The forward portion of the valve body, beneath i the discharge passage 36, is provided with a depending leg I00, having anaperture-or socket H in its lower portion which is slidablyreceived on a pin I02 which is secured by a set screw I03 in the bore I04 of a barrel I05 attached to the pump frame I! by bolts I06. These parts serve to position and guide the valve body during assembly, and also support the forward end of the valve in the assembled position. The rearward end of the body is of course positioned and supported in the counterbore 8I of the bracket I5, and the valve is firmly but nevertheless readily removably secured in place by the wedges 90 and 96, and their associated parts, as will be readily understood from the drawings and the above explanation.

The details of the construction of the valve actuating mechanism 60 referred to above, are best shown in Figs. 8 and 9. A pair of lever structures I I have their lower ends journaled by suitable bearings III upon fixed shafts II2 mounted transversely of the pump frame IT, in planes substantially equidistantly in front and to the rear respectively of the vertical plane of the main shaft 22 of the pump, which shaft rigidly carries a cam I I3. The levers IIO are constructed principally of sheet metal, and comprise spaced front and back plates H4 and H5, an end plate IIB,

is journaled on the said stub shaft in position to engage the peripheral face of the cam I I3. At their tops the lever structures IIO are connected by an adjustable connection I23, whereby the levers may be adjusted toward and from one another to properly position the rollers I22 for engagement with the cam face.

While in accordance with the principles set forth in the prior Patents Nos. 2,017,974 and 2,017,975 mentioned above, the valve segment never completely closes off the inlet and outlet passages 34 and 38, it may happen that in its movement to block one or the other of said passages a piece of the large aggregate of the concrete mixture, or a piece of some extraneous material, such as tramp iron, which may have gotten into the mixture inadvertently, may be caught between the advancing edge of the segment and the wall of the passage. To prevent overload on and possible damage to the valve and/or other parts of the machine, the connecting rod 56, by means of which the motion of the cam-actuated levers H0 is transmitted to the valve, is so constructed as to yield and permit stoppage of movement of the valve plug in either direction, notwithstanding continued movement of the levers IIO through their regular cycle.

The construction of the said connecting rod is best shown in Figs. and 11, from which it will be seen that the rod comprises a tubular housing I25 having flanges I26 and I21 at its respective ends, to the latter of which is bolted or otherwise secured an end member I28 having an eye I29 to receive the pivotal connection 59 whereby the rod assembly is connected to the cam-actuated mechanism 60 for movement thereby. To the flange I23 there is removably secured a thimble I 30 which slidably accommodates an end member I3I having an eye I32 for receiving the pin 51 by means of which the forward end of the rod assembly is connected to the slotted valve arm 55. The end member I3I rigidly carries a rod I 33 which extendsrearwardly in the housing I 25 axially thereof and is provided at its rear end with a pair of lock nuts I34. A compression spring I35 surrounds the rod I33, being longitudinally confined between a pair of sleeves I36 and I3! which are slidably mounted in the housing I25 and are respectively provided with bores I38 and I39 which slidably accommodate the rod I33. The sleeve I36 normally abuts the shoulders MI and I 42 provided by the thimble I30 and the end member I3I respectively at the forward end of the housing I25, while the sleeve I31 normally abuts the forward nut I34 and a stop ring I40 fixedly carried by the said housing.

The spring I35 is of such strength as to transmit without yielding all pressures normally encountered in'moving the valve plug 40 and its segment 5| to and fro through the concrete mixture. However, if in moving the valve from say the full line to the broken line positions indicated in Fig. 5 (in which the connecting rod56 would be moving from right to left, as seen in Figs. 1 and 10), the segment 5I should trap a piece of large aggregate, or encounter a large piece of extraneous material, whereby resistance to its movement will be materially increased, the spring I35 will yield, permitting the end mem ber I28, housing I25 and thimble I30 to continue their leftward movement under the action of the cam-actuated mechanism 60, while the valve plug 40, arm 57, end member I3I' and rod I33 remain stationary. During this action the sleeve I3I is slid along the rod I33 by the stop ring I 40 of the housing, while the sleeve I36 is restrained against movement by its engagement with the abutment shoulder I42 provided by the end member I3I.

Should the abnormal resistance be encountered during the reverse movement of thevalve, i. e., from the broken line to the full line positions of Fig. 5, the spring I35 will again yield, permitting the thimble I30, housing I25 and end member I23 to continue their movement toward the right, while motion of the valve plug 40, valve arm 5?, end member I3I, rod I33 and lock nuts I34 ceases. In this case however, the sleeve I36 will be drawn along the rod I33 by the thimble I30, whereas the sleeve I31 will be restrained by the abutment provided by the now stationary lock nuts I34. It thus results that damage to the valve and/or other parts of the apparatus clue to abnormal resistance to movement of the oscillating valve will be prevented by the yieldable connecting rod assembly 58, regardless of the direction in which such movement is taking place.

In this connection it will be readily understood from the foregoing that the lock nuts I 34 and shoulder I42 of the valve-connected element serve alternatively (depending upon the direction of movement at the time abnormal valve resistance is encountered) as abutments for the respective ends of the spring I35, against which the latter is compressed by the shoulder MI and ring I40 of the element connected to the valveactuating mechanism 60, operating respectively against the end of said spring opposite that which is at the time being restrained by the said lock nuts I34 or shoulder I42.

The member I3I, rod I33, nuts I34, spring I35 and sleeves I36 and I3! com rise an assembly which may be withdrawn as a unit from the housing I25 for inspection, repair and/or replacement, by merelyremoving the bolts which secure the thimble I30 to the said housing.

What is claimed is:

1. In a pressure pump for plastic concrete mixtures, having a working chamber and a mixturecontrolling valve: a bracket member carried by said chamber for readily detachably engaging and supporting a portion of said valve in operative position relative to the'chamber; and wedging means engaging portions of the valve and bracket member to secure the valve in said operative position.

2. In a pressure pump for plastic concrete mixtures, having a working chamber and a mixturecontrolling valve: a bracket carried by said chamber provided with an aperture and with a recess 7 for readily removably receiving and supporting a portion of said valve in operative position relative to the chamber; a member carried by the valve, projecting through said bracket aperture; and quick detachable means engaging said valvecarried member and bracket to secure the valve in said operative position.

3. In a pressure pump for plastic concrete mixtures, having a working chamber and a mixturecontrolling valve: a bracket carried by said chamber provided with an aperture and with means for readily detachably engaging and supporting a portion of said valve in operative position relative to the chamber; a link carried by the valve and projecting through said bracket aperture; and wedging means engaging with said link and portions of said bracket to secure the valve in said operative position.

4. In a pressure pump for plastic concrete mixtures, having a working chamber and a mixturecontrolling valve: a bracket carried by said chamber, provided with an arm and with means for readily detachably engaging and supporting a portion of said valve in operative position relative to the chamber; a projection carried by the valve; and quick-detachable means co-operating with said projection and said bracket arm to secure said valve in said operative position.

5. In a pressure pump for plastic concrete mixtures, having a working chamber and a'mixturecontrolling valve: a bracket carried by said chamber, provided with an angularly extending armand with a recess for readily removably receiving and supporting a portion of said valve ative position.

. 6. In a pressure pump for plastic concrete mixtures, having a working chamber, a valve for controlling flow of the mixture to said chamber, and a hopper for supplying the mixture to said valve: means for supporting said hopper in juxtaposition to but independently of the valve; and quick-detachable means for securing the valve in operative position relative to said hopper and working chamber.

7. In a pressure pump for plastic concrete mixtures, having a working'chamber, a valve for controlling fiow of the mixture to said chamber, and a hopper for supplying the mixture to said valve: a member adjacent the working chamber for supporting said hopper in juxtaposition to but independently of the valve, said member having means readily detachably engagable by a portion of the valve to operatively position the tion relative to said hopper and chamber; and

quick-detachable means for securing the valve in said position.

9. In a pressure pump for plastic concrete mixtures, having a working chamber, a support therefor, and a mixture controlling valve: pin and socket means carried by said valve and said support respectively for readily removably positioning the valve in operative relation to said working chamber; and quick-detachable means for securing. the valve in operative position.

CHARLES I. LONGENECKER. 

